Stepping Stones Museum will present an Astronomy Week for children that kicks off on Monday, Aug. 14, and concludes with the “Great American Eclipse” celebration on Monday, Aug. 21.

Stepping Stones Museum will present an Astronomy Week for children that kicks off on Monday, Aug. 14, and concludes with the “Great American Eclipse” celebration on Monday, Aug. 21.

Photo: Stepping Stones Museum / Contributed Photo

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Stepping Stones however will present an Astronomy Week that kicks off on Monday, Aug. 14, and concludes with the “Great American Eclipse” celebration on Monday, Aug. 21. Above, museum visitors work on understanding a solar eclipse using models. less

Stepping Stones however will present an Astronomy Week that kicks off on Monday, Aug. 14, and concludes with the “Great American Eclipse” celebration on Monday, Aug. 21. Above, museum visitors work on ... more

Photo: Stepping Stones Museum / Contributed Photo

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Stepping Stones Museum wants youngsters to be part of the solar eclipse wonder

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Just because the 10 years-old-and-younger crowd isn’t steeped in complex sciences doesn’t mean they can’t be fascinated by the wonders of the universe.

“You never know what will spark their interest” as a child — and eventually lead to a lifelong interest or even a career direction, said Stephanie Kadam, senior manager of education for Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk.

There are thousands of programs around the nation for adults focusing on the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse, she said, but very few are offered for kids. Stepping Stones however will present an Astronomy Week that kicks off on Monday, Aug. 14, and concludes with the “Great American Eclipse” celebration on Monday, Aug. 21, she added.

For sky watchers, the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse — when the moon will pass in front of the sun — will produce less than two-and-a-half minutes of darkness; it will cross the U.S. coast-to-coast — the first such eclipse visible in the United States since 1918. Unfortunately, the aspects of the eclipse will depend on the weather and will be most dramatic (total darkness) in spots in 14 states, such as Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska in the morning, and from Missouri and Illinois to Tennessee and finally peak in South Carolina at 2:43 p.m. (For further details, visit GreatAmerican Eclipse.com)

Connecticut will experience 68 percent coverage of the sun; it begins at 1:25 p.m. and reaches peak at about 2:45, ending at about 4.

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“At Stepping Stones, we are committed to giving a variety of experiences” to kids, “exposing them to different subjects,” she said.

“The hands-on nature of our programs is really important here,” especially appealing to youngsters, Kadam said. “We like to integrate our content — art, science and culture — so that we can encourage them to explore” the universe.

“Make Your Own Martian Slime” will be a “highlight of the week for budding slime-ologists who want to learn how to concoct ooey-gooey alien-inspired slime.” Sessions will be offered Aug. 14, 1:15-1:45 p.m.; Aug. 16, 3:15-3:45 p.m.; Aug. 20, 11:15-11:45 a.m. “Each day, little stargazers can drop into the Making Space Challenge to make their own telescope then create what they might see in deep space,” according to the museum. Other workshops include Constellation Games, Monday, Aug.14 from 11:15-11:45 a.m.; and Planet Marble Painting on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 2:15-2:45 p.m.

“During the once-in-a-lifetime Great American Eclipse experience on Aug. 21st from 1-5 p.m., amateur astronomers can see what happens when the sun disappears behind the moon; daylight turns into twilight, causing the temperature to drop rapidly and revealing massive streams of light streaking through the sky around the silhouette of the moon,” according to the museum.

Those visiting on Aug. 21 will be able to participate in numerous activities and witness the solar eclipse. For viewing, kids will decorate their own protective eyeglasses for “a spec-tacular keepsake.”

Interactive models and exhibits throughout the museum help kids (and caregivers, too) better understand “ how the particular alignment of the sun, earth, and moon can create shadows and cause and “connect the geometry of a solar eclipse through a storybook about a little bear exploring his own shadow.”